1403 


Issued  December  22, 1911. 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

■  OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS— CIRCHIAR  HR. 

A.  C.  TRUE,  Director. 


DRAINAGE  OF  THE  WET  LANDS  OF 
EFFINGHAM  COUNTY,  GA. 


BY 

F.  G.  EASON, 

Drainage  Engineer, 


PKEPABED  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OP 

C.  G.  ELLIOTT, 

Chief  of  Drainage  Investigations. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFEIOE. 
1911. 


OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS. 


A.  C.  True,  Director. 

E.  W.  Allen,  Assistant  Director. 

STAFF  OF  DRAINAGE  INVESTIGATIONS. 

C.  G.  Elliott,  Chief  Drainage  Engineer  and  Chief  of  Drainage  Investigations. 

A.  D.  Morehouse,  Office  Engineer  and  Assistant  Chief  of  Drainage  Investigations. 


R.  D.  Marsden,  Office  Engineer. 

H.  H.  Barrows,  Assistant  Office  Engineer. 

G.  F.  Pohlers,  H.  B.  Artley,  J.  G.  Hanford,  Draftsmen. 

H.  S.  Yoke,  Senior  Clerk. 

drainage  engineers. 

S.  H.  McCrory,  H.  a.  Kipp,  F.  F.  Shafer,  O.  G.  Baxter,  G.  M.  Warren,  D.  L. 

A'arnell,  J.  V.  Phillips,  F.  G.  Eason,  C.  W.  Okey. 

ASSISTANT  DRAINAGE  ENGINEERS. 

J.  R.  Haswell,  N.  B,  Wade,  W.  J.  Schlick,  A.  G.  Hall,  C.  W.  Mengel. 

«  » 

DRAINAGE  ENGINEERS  FOR  IRRIGATED  LANDS. 

R.  A.  HAiSft',  D.  G.  JMiller,  W.  W.  Weir,  S.  W.  Cooper,  W.  A.  Kelly,  W.  N.  Hall, 

W.  G.  Sloan. 

ENGINEERS  AVAILABLE  FOR  SPECIAL  WORK. 


S.  M.  Woodward,  A,  E.  Morgan,  C.  F.  Brown,  L.  L.  Hidinger. 
[Cir.  113]  (2) 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Office  of  Experiment  Stations, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  May  15,  1911. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  a  manuscript  by  F.  G. 
Eason,  drainage  engineer,  prepared  under  the  direction  of  C.  G. 
Elliott,  chief  of  drainage  investigations,  on  Drainage  of  the  Wet 
Lands  of  Effingham  County,  Ga.  This  report  deals  with  the  general 
drainage  conditions  of  the  county  and  the  various  elements  which 
enter  into  the  solution  of  the  problem.  A  drainage  map  has  been 
prepared  showing  the  natural  watersheds  into  which  the  territory  is 
divided,  suggestive  of  the  boundaries  of  the  drainage  districts  which 
should  be  formed. 

A  plan  for  the  improvement  of  Mill  Creek  has  been  worked  out 
as  illustrative  of  the  methods  of  reclaiming  overflow  bottom  lands. 
An  appendix  gives  a  list  of  bench  marks  which  will  be  useful  in  cariy- 
ing  out  any  drainage  surveys  in  the  future. 

In  order  that  an  interest  in  drainage  matters  may  be  aroused  and 
the  drainage  of  lands  promoted  not  only  in  Effingham  County  but 
also  in  the  many  other  districts  of  Georgia  needing  reclamation,  it 
is  recommended  that  this  report  be  published  as  a  circular  of  this 
office. 

Respectfully,  A.  C.  True, 

Director. 

Hon,  James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

[Cir.  113J  (3) 


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CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Introduction . . . : .  7 

General  description  of  Effingham  County . 8 

Topography .  8 

Soil . 9 

Industries  and  transportation .  10 

Drainage  conditions .  10 

Rainfall  and  run-off. . .  12 

How  drainage  can  be  secured .  15 

Conclusion .  16 

Improvement  of  Mill  Creek . 18 

Method  of  construction .  21 

Estimate  of  cost .  22 

Appendix .  23 

Bench  marks  along  Central  of  Georgia  Railroa<l .  23 

Bench  marks  along  Savannah  River .  24 

Bench  marks  set  by  Drainage  Investigations .  24 

[Cir.  113]  (5) 


f 


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ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page. 

Fig.  1,  Map  of  Effingham  County,  Ga .  8 

2.  Sketch  map  of  portion  of  Mill  Creek,  Effingham  County,  Ga.,  showing 

proposed  drainage  ditch .  19 

3.  Profile  of  proposed  drainage  ditch  in  Mill  Creek,  Effingham  County,  Ga. .  20 

[Cir.  113]  (6) 


« 

i 


i 

1 


DRAINAGE  OF  THE  WET  LANDS  OF  EFFINGHAM 

COUNTY,  GA. 


INTEODTTCTION. 

The  investigation  of  the  drainage  conditions  in  Effingham  County, 
Ga.,  was  made  at  the  solicitation  of  Hon.  C.  G.  Edwards,  who,  late 
in  1910,  requested  that  drainage  investigations.  Office  of  Experi¬ 
ment  Stations,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  make  an 
examination  to  determine  the  possibility  of  reclaiming  the  wet  lands 
of  the  county.  In  replying  to  this  request,  C.  G.  Elliott,  chief  of 
drainage  investigations,  expressed  his  intention  of  causing  an 
investigation  to  be  made  with  a  view  to  reporting  in  full  on  the  pos¬ 
sibilities  of  drainage  betterment  in  the  county,  but  stated  further 
that  the  examination  was  to  be  of  a  preliminary  nature,  the  question 
of  a  more  detailed  examination  and  survey  to  be  held  in 
Accordingly,  Mr.  Elliott  directed  Mr.  F.  G.  Eason,  assistant  drain¬ 
age  engineer,  to  proceed  with  the  examination  along  these  lines. 

Mr.  Eason  took  up  the  investigation  on  February  6,  1911,  com¬ 
pleting  the  same  on  March  3.  Subsequently  he  spent  another  week 
in  the  field  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  some  detailed  information 
with  regard  to  Mill  Creek.  The  examination  was  conducted  with 
Savannah,  Ga.,  as  a  base.  All  of  the  railroads  were  gone  over,  and 
several  hundred  miles  of  roads  were  traversed.  Every  section  of 
the  country  was  visited,  and  many  persons  were  questioned  for' infor¬ 
mation,  which  was  later  verified.  Those  interested  in  the  movement 
in  the  various  towns  very  kindly  gave  what  assistance  they  could. 

In  ihis  report  is  set  forth  the  present  drainage  status  in  Effingham 
County  as  observed,  also  the  possibility  of  improving  conditions  is 
discussed,  and  methods  of  accomplishing  the  work  are  suggested. 
The  report  also  contains  the  results  of  a  more  detailed  examination 
of  Mill  Creek,  including  recommendations  for  draining  the  12,200 
acres  of  its  watershed  and  giving  an  estimate  of  the  probable  cost  of 
the  work. 

The  general  map  of  Effingham  County  (fig.  1)  that  accompanies 
this  report  was  made  from  an  existing  county  map,  supplemented 
by  data  obtained  in  traveling  over  the  county.  It  is  only  approxi¬ 
mately  correct  but  serves  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  here  presented. 

[Cir.  113]  (7) 


abeyance. 


8 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 

Effingham  County  lies  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  Georgia, 
between  the  Savannah  River  on  the  east  and  the  Ogeechee  River  on 
the  west.  Roughly  a  parallelogram  in  shape,  it  has  an  area  of  about 
375  square  miles.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  counties  in  the  State  and 
contains  one  of  the  first  settlements  made  in  this  part  of  the  country — 
that  at  Ebenezer  Church,  on  the  Savannah  River,  made  about  the 
year  1765.  The  present  population  of  the  county  numbers  about 
10,000,  a  considerable  portion  of  whom  are  descendants  of  the  early 
settlers.  They  are  a  conservative,  industrious  class,  mostly  of 
German  descent. 

Springfield,  the  county  seat,  and  Guyton  are  the  two  largest  towns 
in  the  county;  other  towns  are  Clyo,  Egypt,  Rincon,  and  Meldrim. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

There  is  but  one  county  (Chatham)  lying  between  Effingham 
County  and  the  seacoast,  and  this  nearness  to  the  ocean  accounts 
in  a  measure  for  the  general  flatness  of  the  lands.  The  southern 
portion  of  the  county  is  extremely  flat  and  contains  several  large 
bays  or  swamps,  which  have  very  poor  drainage  outlets  through  the 
branches  and  creeks.  These  latter  are  for  the  most  part  small, 
sluggish  streams  meandering  their  way  through  fairly  wide  swamps 
and  are  usually  choked  up  by  logs,  trees,  and  bushes.  The  condition 
is  typical  of  all  the  streams  in  the  county  except  some  few  in  the 
central  and  northern  portions,  which  do  not  have  such  wide  swamps 
and  which  have  much  greater  fall.  The  topography  of  the  central 
portion  of  the  county,  particularly  the  section  around  Springfield,  is 
entirely  different  in  character  from  that  of  the  southern  part  and 
consists  of  rolling  land  sloping  gradually  to  the  branches,  where  it 
drops  off  suddenly,  sometimes  as  much  as  25  or  30  feet.  The 
branches  in  this  section  are  quite  numerous.  (See  fig.  1.)  The 
need  of  drainage  is  not  so  apparent  in  the  central  portion  as  else¬ 
where,  nor  is  it  so  difficult  to  obtain  it.  The  northern  portion  of 
the  county  is,  in  topography,  a  mean  between  the  southern  an^  cen¬ 
tral  portions;  while  it  contains  large  areas  of  flat  lands,  these  are 
not  so  flat  as  those  in  the  south,  nor  are  they  as  undulating  as  are 
the  lands  in  the  central  portion.  The  northern  section  does  not 
contain  as  much  swamp  area  as  is  found  in  the  central  and  southern 
portions,  but  contains  large  areas  of  flat  lands  which  by  means  of  a 
little  drainage  could  be  made  very  productive. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  lands  of  the  county  would  be  classed  as 
‘‘flat  piney  woods,”  but  there  are  several  sections  where  this  would 
not  apply,  notably  along  the  Louisville  Road  and  near  the  Ogeechee 
River,  where  many  sand  beds  are  encountered  underlain  with  clay 

[Cir.  113] 


f  NOffW/i  PcrFRS  r.o  ,  WASHtNCJrjH  li  . 


9 


at  some  depth  and  supporting  a  sparse  growth  of  forked  leaf  black¬ 
jack  oaks.  In  places,  however,  sandy  loam,  underlain  with  clay  at 
12  to  18  inches,  is  found,  and  good  crops  are  here  produced.  The 
greater  part  of  the  area  of  the  county,  will  make  good  farming  land 
as  evidenced  by  the  crops  raised  at  the  present  time  on  the  lands 
under  cultivation. 

One  peculiar  feature  of  the  topography  of  the  county  to  which  it 
is  desired  to  call  attention  is  the  existence  of  ridges  which  parallel 
both  rivers  bordering  the  county.  These  ridges  are  quite  high  in 
some  places  and  cut  off  the  drainage  to  the  rivers,  except  through 
the  creeks  which  empty  into  them.  They  are  usually  situated 
along  or  very  close  to  the  edge  of  the  river  swamp. 

The  main  divide  or  watershed  boundary  of  the  county  runs  through 
its  entire  length  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  paralleling  the  Ogeechee 
River,  and  lying  about  6  miles  distant  from  it.  About  two-thirds 
of  the  area  of  the  county  lies  to  the  east  of  this  divide  and  drains 
into  the  Savannah  River,  while  the  remaining  third  drains  westerly 
into  the  Ogeechee  River  and  Ogeechee  Creek,  the  latter  having,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  a  watershed  independent  of  the  two  main  ones  above 
described  and  flowing  directly  to  the  ocean.  The  numerous  smaller 
creeks  and  branches  each  have  their  individual  watersheds,  but 
these  are  all  subsidiary,  as  they  empty  into  one  or  the  other  of  the 
before-mentioned  streams.  It  will  therefore  be  seen  that  there  are 
but  three  independent  watershed  districts  in  the  entire  country;  all 
of  these,  however,  can  be  subdivided  into  numerous  minor  ones,  as 
may  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  accompanying  map.  (Fig.  1). 

SOIL. 

The  soil  of  the  county,  as  a  whole,  appears  to  be  of  good  quality. 
The  predominating  type  is  a  light  sandy  loam,  underlain  by  a  sub¬ 
soil  of  stiff  yellow  or  reddish  clay,  varying  in  depth  from  2  to  24 
inches.  This  is  the  soil  most  generally  cultivated,  and  veiy  good 
results  are  obtained  from.it  with  the  addition  of  a  little  commercial 
fertilizer.  Another  class  of  soil  is  sandy  and,  so  far  as  could  be  deter¬ 
mined,  appeared  to  contain  little  but  sand.  In  some  cases  this  is 
underlain  by  a  sandy  hardpan.  This  soil  occurs  mostly  on  the 
ridges  bordering  the  rivers.  The  soil  in  the  swamps  and  bays  con¬ 
sists  of  a  black  muck  in  most  cases  and,  judging  from  the  present 
growths,  will  make  excellent  farm  lands  when  drained.  There  is 
stni  another  class  of  soil  in  the  river  swamps  along  the  Savannah  and 
Ogeechee  Rivers.  This  is  an  alluvial  soil  deposited  by  the  rivers  during 
time  of  overflow  and  is  of  excellent  quality.  The  soil  of  the  Savannah 
River  bottoms  is  of  a  dark-yellow  color,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  is 
brought  down  from  the  red  clay  hills.  That  of  the  Ogeechee  River 
bottoms  is  mostly  of  a  dark-brown  color  or  black. 

14863°— Cir.  113—11 - 2 


10 


INDUSTRIES  AND  TRANSPORTATION. 

Effingham  County  is  an  instance  of  a  section  where  very  little 
farming  is  done,  whereas  it  should  be  a  thriving  agricultural  com¬ 
munity.  It  is  estimated  that 'of  the  total  lands  of  the  county  only 
from  5  to  8  per  cent  are  under  cultivation.  This  is  due  chiefly  to 
the  lack  of  drainage  and  scarcity  of  population,  there  being  only 
about  25  people  to  the  square  mile.  The  vocation  of  the  majority 
of  the  people  is  farming,  the  remainder  being  devoted  mostly  to  the 
lumber  and  turpentine  business,  which  still  plays  an  important 
part  in  the  affairs  of  the  county.  The  class  of  farming  here  is  as 
good  as  the  average  of  the  South,  but  there  is  room  for  the  improve¬ 
ment  that  can  be  brought  about  by  the  practice  of  scientific  methods 
and  the  use  of  more  modern  machinery.  Very  good  crops  are  made, 
the  chief  ones  being  cotton  and  corn,  although  some  oats,  sugar  cane, 
melons,  and  truck  are  planted.  Crops  of  1  bale  of  cotton  to  the 
acre  and  50  to  60  bushels  of  corn  are  not  uncommon  in  Effingham 
County.  -  • 

There  are  five  railroads  in  the  county,  three  of  which  traverse  it 
in  a  north-and-south  direction.  The  Central  of  Georgia  Kailroad 
runs  along  the  western  portion  of  the  county  for  its  entire  length, 
paralleling  the  Ogeechee  River.  The  Brinson  Railway  is  a  new 
road,  which  has  been  in  operation  for  only  a  few  years  and  runs 
through  the  central  portion  of  the  county  for  its  entire  length.  The 
Seaboard  Air  Line  traverses  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  to  a 
point  3  miles  above  Clyo,  where  it  crosses  the  Savannah  River. 
Another  branch  of  the  Seaboard  Air  Line  crosses  the  southwest 
comer  of  the  county,  while  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line  touches  the 
extreme  southeast  corner.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  county 
is  fairly  well  supplied  with  railroads. 

The  public  roads  are  not  up  to  the  standard  of  those  in  the  neigh¬ 
boring  counties,  but  of  late  convict  labor  has  been  applied  to  them, 
with  good  results.  The  roads  are,  for  the  most  part,  very  sandy. 

DRAINAGE  CONDITIONS. 

The  main  drainage  outlet  for  the  county  is  the  Savannah  River,  as 
it  drains  about  two-thirds  of  the  entire  area.  However,  very  few 
of  the  streams,  except  in  the  southern  portion,  flow  directly  into  this 
river,  the  principal  ones  being  Ebenezer  Creek,  Lechner  Creek,  and 
Abercorn  Creek.  In  the  central-eastern  part  are  a  few  small  branches 
which  flow  directly  into  the  river.  The  largest  tributary  of  the 
Savannah  River,  and  by  far  the  most  important  interior  drainage 
channel  of  the  county,  is  Ebenezer  Creek.  This  creek  rises  in  Screven 
County  and  flows  south  through  Effingham  County  until  opposite 
Springfield,  where  it  turns  and  flows  easterly  into  the  Savannah 

[Cir.  113] 


11 


River.  Above  Springfield  this  creek  is  called  ‘^The  Run^’  and  has 
several  Urge  tributaries,  the  most  important  of  which  are  Turkey 
Branch,  Jacks  Branch,  Cowpen  Branch,  Devils  Branch,  State  Bay, 
^  and  Little  Ebenezer  Branch.  This  one  creek,  with  its  tributaries, 
drains  about  one-half  the  entire  county  and  in  some  places  in  the 
northern  part  drains  from  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  Savan- 
nah  River,  the  drainage  being  cut  off  from  the  river  by  the  high 
ridges.  A  very  large  volume  of  water  comes  down  this  creek  during 
heavy  rains  and  it  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  maintain  bridges  over 
it.  The  creek  has  a  well-defined  channel  at  the  lower  end,  but  in 
the  upper  part  it  is  similar  to  the  other  branches — crooked  and 
choked  up. 

The  Savannah  River  is  a  navigable  stream  up  to  the  fall  line,  at 
Augusta,  Ga.  This  river  was  surveyed  by  the  United  States 
Engineer's  office  at  Savannah  in  1889.  Very  little  information 
could  be  obtained  regarding  high-water  marks,  but  the  few  follow¬ 
ing  facts  will  be  of  interest.  The  fall  from  Augusta,  Ga.,  to  the  sea 
is  very  nearly  uniform  and  amounts  to  about  0.5  feet  per  mile.  At 
Purysburg,  S.  C.,  40  miles  from  its  mouth,  the  extreme  high-water 
level  of  the  river,  due  to  floods,  is  20  feet,  low  water  at  this  point 
being  6.6  feet,  thus  giving  a  range  of  13.4  feet.  The  average  width  of 
the  river  along  this  county  is  about  500  feet.  A  gauge  is  maintained 
at  Augusta,  Ga.,  and  from  gauge  readings  and  rating  curves  it  has 
been  determined  that  a  height  of  35  feet  at  this  point  will  give  a 
corresponding  discharge  of  155,000  cubic  feet  per  second.  For  a  40- 
foot  stage  the  discharge  would  be  370,000  second-feet,  although  a 
stage  of  40  feet  at  Augusta  has  never  been  quite  reached.  Augusta 
is  about  100  miles  from  Effingham  County  and,  while  no  very  large 
tributaries  enter  the  river  between  these  points,  there  are  a  number 
of  smaller  ones,  so  that  along  this  county  it  is  estimated  that  the 
discharge  during  extreme  high  water  is  400,000  to  450,000  second- 
feet. 

The  next  main  drainage  channel  in  importance  is  the  Ogeechee 
River,  which  drains  a  scope  of  country  about  6  miles  wide  in  Effing¬ 
ham  County,  down  as  far  as  Marlow,  where  the  watershed  narrows 
down  to  hardly  more  than  a  mile  in  width.  The  main  tributaries 
of  the  Ogeechee  River  are  Lopers  Creek,  Mill  Creek,  Deep  Branch, 
►  and  Walden  Branch.  The  Ogeechee  River  is  not  now  classed  by  the 

War  Department  as  a  navigable  stream  along  Effingham  County, 
but  there  is  a  probability  of  its  being  so  classed  in  the  near  future. 
f  There  are  several  bridges  across  it  which  have  no  draws.  No  infor¬ 

mation  as  to  high-water  marks  of  this  river  could  be  obtained.  The 
Geological  Survey  maintained  for  a  few  months  a  gauging  station  at 
Millen,  Ga.,  which  is  situated  on  the  Ogeechee  River  about  30  miles 

[Cir.  113] 


12 


above  Effingham  County.  The  measurements  taken  indicated  that 
at  a  stage  of  7  feet  at  Milan,  the  discharge  would  be  3,590  cubic  feet 
per  second,  but  it  is  not  known  how  this  stage  compares  with  the 
maximum  flood  stage  of  the  river,  and  as  there  are  a  number  of  tribu¬ 
taries  entering  the  river  between  Effingham  County  and  Millen  the 
actual  flood  flow  along  Effingham  County  can  not  be  estimated  with 
the  information  at  hand. 

Ogeechee  Creek  heads  east  of  Marlow  and  flows  in  a  southerly  di¬ 
rection,  finally  emptying  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  This  creek  drams 
a  district  of  from  2  J  to  6  miles  wide.  Monteith  Creek  and  Black  Creek 
originate  in  the  southern  portion  of  this  county  and  flow  through 
Chatham  County  to  the  Savannah  River. 

Each  of  the  streams  mentioned  above  is  fed  by  many  smaller 
tributaries,  which  divide  the  entire  county  into  a  network  of  small 
branches.  All  of  these  have  some  little  flow  during  wet  times  and  the 
greater  portion  of  the  year  have  water  in  them.  They  are  the  natural 
drainage  outlets  for  the  county  and  a  glance  at  the  map  (fig.  1)  can  not 
but  impress  one  with  the  facility  with  which  a  general  drainage  sys¬ 
tem  could  be  laid  out  for  the  county,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  with  the 
number  of  small  dramage  districts  which  could  be  formed  owing  to 
the  great  number  of  small  branches.  Each  of  these  little  branches 
drains  its  own  scope  of  territory  and  has  its  function  in  the  general 
system. 

The  areas  drained  by  the  three  principal  outlets  are  as  follows: 
Savannah  River,  255  square  miles;  Ogeechee  River,  85  square  miles; 
Ogeechee  Creek  35  square  miles;  total,  375  square  miles. 

The  present  condition  of  the  injured  lands  of  this  county  is  not 
due  to  a  lack  of  adequate  drainage  outlets,  but  to  the  absence  of 
proper  connection  with  these  outlets  or  to  the  fact  that  the  dramage 
channels  are  badly  obstructed  by  logs,  trees,  and  bushes.  This  con¬ 
dition  of  affairs  naturally  causes  the  water  to  remain  on  the  lands  a 
large  part  of  the  time  and  also  keeps  the  water  table  of  the  soil  so 
close  to  the  surface  most  of  the  year  as  to  render  the  land  unfit  for 
cultivation.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the  southern  portion  and 
applies  also  to  portions  of  the  northern  part  where  there  is  so  little 
difference  between  the  elevation  of  the  swamps  and  that  of  the  adja^ 
cent  lands. 

RAINFALL  AND  RTJN-OFF. 

The  United  States  Weather  Bureau  maintains  no  stations  in  Effing¬ 
ham  County,  but  such  stations  are  located  at  Savannah,  Statesboro, 
and  Brag.  The  records  of  these  points  may  be  taken  to  indicate 
very  closely  the  precipitation  in  Effingham  County.  The  record  of 
rainfall  at  Savannah  covers  a  period  of  more  than  60  years;  those  of 
Statesboro  and  Brag  are  more  or  less  incomplete  and  cover  a  much 

[Cir.  113] 


13 


smaller  period.  These  records  show  that  the  annual  rainfall  for  this 
district  is  close  to  50  inches.  The  section  is,  however,  subject  to  very 
heavy  rainstorms  lasting  from  but  a  few  hours  to  several  days.  It 
is  these  comparatively  short  periods  of  heavy  rainfall  rather  than 
annual  or  monthly  precipitation  that  must  govern  the  nature  and 
scope  of  drainage  improvements. 

As  an  indication  of  the  rainfall  which  an  efficient  drainage  sys¬ 
tem  in  Eflfingham  County  must  be  designed  to  provide  for,  the  follow¬ 
ing  table  of  heavy  storms  is  given : 

Record  of  greatest  storms  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  in  15  years,  1896  to  1910,  inclusive 

[From  the  records  of  U.  S.  Weather  Bureau.] 


Years. 

Date. 

Rainfall. 

Years. 

Date. 

Rainfall. 

Years. 

Date. 

Rainfall, 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

pan. 

16 

2.53 

fAug. 

27 

1. 52 

puly 

7 

a  04 

May 

3 

1.26 

Aug. 

28 

1. 85 

July 

8 

.81 

May 

4« 

.38 

Aug. 

29 

2. 39 

July 

9 

4.08 

May 

5 

1.19 

i$^oo 

Aug. 

30 

.17 

Aug. 

15 

2.08 

1896 . 

May 

6 

.13 

Sept. 

16 

.24 

lOAQ 

Sept. 

13 

.54 

Aug. 

26 

2. 52 

Sept. 

17 

2.32 

•••••• 

Sept. 

14 

.91 

Nov. 

30 

.52 

Sept. 

18 

1.  60 

Sept. 

15 

2.25 

Dec. 

1 

2.41 

Nov. 

25 

2.01 

Sept. 

16 

1.45 

Dec. 

2 

2.63 

Jan. 

18 

2. 16 

Sept. 

17 

.36 

Feh. 

25 

2.62 

Jan. 

19 

.28 

Oct. 

17 

2.04 

July 

22 

2.00 

Jan. 

20 

.05 

pan. 

22 

1.08 

Sept. 

21 

.67 

XvUU •••••• 

Oct. 

3 

3.80 

Jan. 

23 

1. 07 

1007 

Sept 

22 

2. 30 

Oct. 

4 

.75 

July 

21 

.15 

XOnji  •••••• 

Oct. 

17 

.75 

Nov. 

3 

3. 06 

July 

22 

.92 

Oct. 

18 

3.42 

June 

12 

.88 

1904 . 

pifly 

23 

.41 

Oct. 

19 

2.51 

June 

13 

2.49 

July 

24 

2.52 

Oct. 

20 

.03 

inAi 

June 

14 

.16 

July 

28 

4.80 

pune 

17 

1.06 

19U1 •••••• 

June 

15 

.29 

July 

29 

1.63 

June 

18 

.27 

June 

16 

.05 

July 

30 

.33 

June 

19 

1. 64 

June 

17 

1. 59 

1905 . 

May 

7 

2.10 

July 

10 

1. 16 

[Mar. 

14 

.30 

1906 . 

June 

15 

2.74 

July 

11 

.16 

Mar. 

15 

2.22 

[June 

26 

.15 

July 

12 

2. 39 

Mar. 

16 

.38 

June 

27 

.77 

July 

13 

1.75 

July 

11 

.60 

June 

28 

.51 

Aug. 

16 

1. 47 

July 

12 

2.  72 

Juue 

29 

5.07 

Aug. 

17 

4. 16 

July 

12 

1. 92 

June 

30 

.34 

Aug. 

18 

.04 

1009 

Oct. 

25 

.22 

July 

2 

.30 

1898 . 

Aug. 

26 

.12 

•••••• 

Oct. 

26 

2. 58 

1907 . 

July 

3 

.89 

Aug. 

27 

3.  44 

Oct. 

27 

.47 

July 

4 

2.09 

Aug. 

28 

1. 13 

Nov. 

30 

2.  88 

Sept. 

12 

L03 

Aug. 

29 

.31 

Dec. 

1 

.01 

Sept. 

13 

.4a 

Aug. 

30 

1. 16 

Dec. 

2 

.16 

Sept. 

14 

1.07 

Aug. 

31 

7.31 

Dec. 

3 

.58 

Sept. 

15 

1.04 

Sept. 

1 

,87 

Dec. 

4 

2. 34 

.Sept. 

16 

.07 

Oct. 

2 

2. 78 

Mar. 

29 

3.27 

1909 . 

Aug. 

23 

2.71 

Nov. 

16 

.15 

May 

7 

.63 

[Aug. 

27 

.72 

Nov. 

17 

.31 

lOAQ 

May 

8 

2.  44 

1910 . 

<Aug. 

29 

8.38 

iNov. 

18 

4.13 

May 

9 

.42 

lAug. 

30 

.41 

[Feh. 

16 

2.05 

May 

10 

1.  19 

lAug. 

26 

.33 

Duly 

6 

.34 

The  storms  tabulated  above  are  divided  among  the  months  as 
follows : 


January .  3 

February .  2 

March .  2 

April .  0 


May .  3 

June .  4 

July .  6 

August .  7 


September .  4 

October .  5 

November .  3 

December .  2 


It  is  readily  seen  from  the  above  that  heavy  storms  may  be  ex¬ 
pected  most  frequently  in  the  months  from  June  to  October,  inclusive. 


[Cir.  113] 


14 


This  fact  is  further  shown  in  the  following  record  of  normal  monthly 
precipitation  at  Savannah  for  a  period  of  60  years: 


Inches.  Inches.  Inches. 


January . 

...  3.12 

May . 

....  3.71 

September. . . 

..  6.45 

February. . . 

..  3.01 

June . 

...  5.  41 

October . 

. .  3.04 

March . 

...  3.67 

J  uly . 

. ...  6.92 

November.. . 

. .  2.16 

April . 

...  2.73 

August .... 

....  7.74 

December _ 

..  3.10 

The  greatest  monthly  precipitation  in  this  section,  as  recorded  by 
the  Weather  Bureau,  occurred  in  August,  1898,  when  33.02  inches 
fell  at  Brag.  On  three  different  occasions  within  the  past  40  years 
more  than  8  inches  of  rain  have  fallen  at  Savannah  within  24  hours, 
and  rainfalls  of  more  than  2  inches  in  24  hours  are  of  comparatively 
frequent  occurrence. 

The  water  which  is  removed  from  a  watershed  through  surface 
channels  is  known  as  run-off.  The  rate  of  run-off  is  the  quantity  of 
water  removed  in  a  unit  of  time.  It  is  usually  referred  to  in  drainage 
work  as  a  depth  of  water  uniformly  distributed  over  .the  watershed 
which  is  removed  in  24  hours,  but  for  purposes  of  calculation  the  rate 
of  run-off  may  be  expressed  in  cubic  feet  per  second.  The  study  of 
run-off,  or  more  properly  the  rate  of  run-off,  is  essential  in  the  design 
of  efficient  and  economical  drainage  works. 

The  most  important  conditions  affecting  the  rate  of  run-off  are 
(1)  the  frequency  and  intensity  of  precipitation,  (2)  the  area,  shape, 
and  topography  of  the  watershed.  The  rate  of  run-off  is  further 
affected  to  a  considerable  degree  by  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  to  a 
lesser  extent  by  the  state  of  cultivation  of  the  watershed  and  the  char¬ 
acter  and  extent  of  vegetation.  There  are  no  two  watersheds  alike 
and  the  factors  influencing  the  rate  of  run-off  from  any  watershed 
are  so  interrelated  that  the  question  of  run-off  is  not  one  for  mathe¬ 
matical  solution,  but  rather  of  judgment  and  experience. 

The  heavy  rains  which  occur  in  Effingham  County  would  point  to 
the  necessity  of  assuming  a  high  rate  of  run-off  for  the  section.  Also 
the  rolling  character  of  the  central  portion  of  the  county  would  tend 
to  cause  rapid  accumulation  of  the  water  in  the  drainage  channels, 
and  thus  necessitate  outlets  of  large  capacity.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  soil  is  of  such  character  as  to  take  up  large  quantities  of  water 
and  the  heaviest  rains  occur  in  the  season  when  growing  vegetation 
requires  and  absorbs  a  large  amount  of  water  and  when  the  rate  of 
evaporation  is  high.  In  the  northern  and  southern  portions  of  the 
county  the  land  lies  much  flatter  than  in  the  central  part,  and  the 
removal  of  the  water  that  falls  upon  these  sections  is  therefore 
retarded  and  is  extended  over  a  greater  interval  of  time,  justifying 
the  assumption  of  a  smaller  rate  of  run-off. 

A  rate  of  run-off  of  three-fourths  inch  in  depth  over  watersheds  in 
the  central  portion  of  the  county,  and  of  one-half  inch  for  the  flatter 

[Cir.  113]  . 


15 


northern  and  southern  portions  will,  it  is  believed,  afford  a  basis 
for  such  improvements  as  will  give  good  drainage  under  normal  con¬ 
ditions.  It  is  not  expected  that  the  rates  assumed  would  cover  such 
^  rainfalls  as  occurred  on  August  29  of  last  year  when  more  than  8 
inches  fell,  or  similar  storms  which  have  occurred  at  intervals  of 
several  years  in  the  past.  It  is  beheved,  however,  that  drainage 
^  systems  based  upon  these  figures  will  give  good  service  under  normal 
conditions,  and  can  be  constructed  at  a  cost  that  will  insure  large 
returns  on  the  investment. 

According  to  the  classification  given  above  the  principal  streams 
in  the  three-fourths-inch  district  would  be:  The  Runs,  Ebenezer 
Creek,  Turkey  Branch,  and  Jacks  Branch;  and  in  the  one-half-inch 
district:  Mill  Creek,  Ogeechee  Creek,  Sweigoffer  Creek,  Montieth 
Creek,  and  Deep  Branch. 

HOW  DRAINAGE  CAN  BE  SECURED. 

There  are  no  serious  engineering  problems  to  be  solved  in  devising 
a  system  of  drainage  for  this  county.  The  best  plan  to  be  followed 
is  to  complete  what  nature  has  indicated.  A  good  natural  system 
already  exists  and  if  followed  up  and  completed  will  give  all  the  relief 
desired.  A  system  of  canals  should  be  dug  in  all  the  main  branches 
and  creeks  of  the  county,  and  from  these  laterals  could  be  run  as 
often  as  necessary  to  accomplish  the  drainage  of  the  interior  portions. 
Even  if  canals  can  not  be  constructed  a  great  deal  of  good  could  be 
accomplished  by  simply  clearing  the  streams  of  trees  and  brush,  thus 
giving  the  water  a  free  flow.  Each  individual  landowner  could  do 
this  clearing  and  if  done  systematically  it  would  result  in  much  good. 

There  are  no  serious  overflow  conditions  to  contend  with  in  the 
county  except  in  the  river  bottoms,  although  upon  one  occasion  water 
was  known  to  flow  from  the  Ogeechee  River  to  the  Savannah  River 
near  Eden.  The  river  swamp  along  the  Ogeechee  River  will  average 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width  in  Effingham  County,  and  all 
of  this  land  could  be  reclaimed  by  building  a  low  dike  along  the  river 
as  the  latter  does  not  overflow  the  swamp  to  a  depth  exceeding  3  feet 
during  the  time  of  freshet.  The  Savannah  River  swamp  is  several 
miles  wide,  but  most  of  it  lies  on  the  South  Carolina  side.  It  would 
hardly  be  a  paying  proposition  to  reclaim  the  overflowed  land  on  the 
•  Effingham  County  side  of  the  river,  owing  to  the  narrowness  of  the 

bottom  and  the  height  to  which  the  levees  would  have  to  be  built. 
There  is,  however,  one  portion  where  levees  could  be  used  to  advan- 
^  tage;  this  is  the  section  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  lying 

between  Mill  Creek  and  the  river,  as  here  the  swamp  is  2  to  3  miles 
wide.  The  Savannah  River  rises  much  higher  than  the  Ogeechee 
during  a  freshet,  overflowing  the  bottoms  to  a  depth  of  8  to  10  feet, 

[Cir.  113] 


16 


and  hence  it  will  take  a  much  higher  and  more  expensive  levee  to 
reclaim  the  lands  along  it,  and  protect  them  from  overflow. 

No  organized  effort  has  been  made  up  to  this  time  toward  the 
draining  of  the  swamp  lands  of  Effingham  County,  and  as  a  result  no 
drainage  has  ever  been  attempted  outside  of  one  or  two  ditches  in 
branches  and  the  usual  field  ditches.  Under  the  proposed  drainage 
law  of  Georgia,  •  ho wever,  the  landowners  adjoining  one  or  more  of 
these  creeks  or  branches  will  be  able  to  form  a  drainage  district  and 
drain  their  lands  to  the  best  advantage.  The  cost  of  draining  these 
lands  will  not  be  unduly  high  if  the  work  is  done  in  a  proper  manner 
by  cooperation  and  with  concert  of  action,  as  no  obstacles  of  import 
will  be  met  with.  For  the  purpose  of  determining  what  the  approxi¬ 
mate  cost  of  drainage  work  would  be  in  this  county  a  more  detailed 
examination  was  made  of  Mill  Creek  and  improvements  were  planned 
and  their  probable  cost  estimated.  The  results  of  this  examination 
are  given  in  this  report. 

CONCLUSION. 

In  considering  the  attitude  of  the  landowners  of  Effingham  County 
on  the  question  of  drainage,  the  fact  that  they  have  had  no  experience 
in  or  observation  of  drainage  works  must  be  taken  into  consideration. 
While  there  are  several  landowners  who  ate  deeply  interested  in  the 
question  of  drainage,  and  who  are  willing  to  devote  time  and  money 
to  it,  it  is  not  believed  that  the  people  as  a  whole  would  be  willing 
to  expend  any  considerable  amount  of  money  in  this  direction  until 
they  have  been  taught  more  about  it,  or  have  had  some  concrete 
example  of  drainage  set  before  them.  All  of  them  concede  drainage 
to  be  a  good  thing  in  the  abstract,  but  most  of  them  are  content  to 
let  it  rest  at  that.  There  are  no  proposed  drainage  districts  in  view 
at  present,  but  it  is  believed  that  before  long  some  will  be  established. 

The  present  value  of  most  of  the  land  of  the  county  with  the  timber 
cut  off  is  from  $3  to  SIO  an  acre,  and  of  land  under  cultivation  from 
$25  to  $60  an  acre.  If  the  people  could  be  led  to  see  that  by  the 
expenditure  of  a  few  dollars  an  acre  for  drainage  purposes,  they  could 
increase  the  value  and  productivity  of  their  lands  several  hundred 
per  cent,  they  would  probably  look  more  deeply  into  the  subject. 
It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  increased  productiveness  of  the  land 
would  not  be  the  only  benefit  derived  from  drainage  where  conditions 
are  such  as  now  exist  in  Effingham  County.  The  abatement  of 
mosquitoes  and  improvement  in  the  health  conditions  of  the  county 
which  could  be  expected  to  result  from  improved  drainage  are  bene¬ 
fits  that  should  by  no  means  be  overlooked. 

[Cir.  113] 


The  results  of  this  investigation  may  be  summed  up  in  the  following 
words: 

(1)  A  large  part  of  Effingham  County,  particularly  the  northern 
and  southern  portions,  can  not  at  present  be  cultivated,  owing  to  the 
high  level  of  the  ground  water  and  the  prevalence  of  swamps  and 
low  flat  areas  which  do  not  drain.  These  conditions  are  not  caused 
by  lack  of  natural  drainage  outlets,  but  by  the  shallowness  and  choked 
condition  of  these  streams  and  by  the  lack  of  efficient  connection 
between  the  low  flat  lands  and  the  outlets.  The  bottoms  along  the 
Savannah  and  Ogeechee  Rivers  are  subject  to  damage  by  overflow 
of  these  rivers. 

(2)  The  best  method  of  draining  these  lands  consists  in  the  con¬ 
struction  of  canals  of  proper  dimensions  in  the  main  creeks  and 
branches  of  the  county,  these  canals  to  be  fed  by  laterals  constructed 
in  the  smaller  branches  and  extending  into  the  interior  bays  and 
swamps.  This  will  afford  a  drainage  system  with  which  individual 
farm  drains  may  be  connected,  and  the  drainage  may,  therefore,  be 
as  complete  as  desired  by  the  landowner.  The  main  canals  should  be 
of  sufficient  depth  to  form  good  outlets  for  the  lateral  system,  the 
latter  being  made  deep  enough  to  keep  down  the  ground-water  level 
and  form  good  outlets  for  the  farm  drains.  This  will  require  a  depth 
of  about  6  or  7  feet  for  the  main  canals  and  5  feet  for  the  laterals. 
The  cost  of  providing  these  outlets  for  farm  drains  should  be  in  the 
neighborhood  of  $2.50  or  $3  per  acre  of  benefited  land.  The  bottom 
along  the  Ogeechee  River  may  be  protected  from  overflow  by  a 
levee  not  exceeding  6  feet  in  height,  while  the  wide  bottom  land 
along  the  Savannah  River  adjoining  Mill  Greek,  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  county,  would  require  a  levee  probably  not  less  than 
12  feet  in  height. 

(3)  While  a  number  of  landowners  in  the  county  are  much  interested 
in  drainage  and  are  no  doubt  ready  to  assume  their  share  of  the 
labor  and  expense  necessary  for  its  accomplishment,  it  does  not 
appear  that  there  is  at  present  a  general  sentiment  in  the  county 
in  favor  of  undertaking  the  work. 

The  following  list  contains  the  names  and  addresses  of  some  of 
those  residents  of  Effingham  County  who  appear  to  be  most  interested 
in  the  question  of  drainage,  and  from  whom  information  of  value 
was  obtained: 


George  M.  Brinson,  Springfield,  Ga. 
Y.  E.  Bargeron,  Springfield,  Ga. 

J.  M.  Guann,  Springfield,  Ga. 

J.  M.  Hodge,  Springfield,  Ga. 

H.  J.  Biddenback,  Springfield,  Ga. 
AV.  A.  Jandon,  Springfield,  Ga. 


C.  r.  Berry,  Springfield,  Ga. 

J.  T.  Wells,  Guyton,  Ga. 

A.  N.  Grovenstine,  Guyton,  Ga. 
G.  M.  Shearouse,  Guyton,  Ga. 
R.  W.  Sheppard,  Guyton,  Ga. 

C.  T.  Guyton,  Guyton,  Ga, 


18 


B.  P.  Powers,  Guyton,  Ga. 

W.  T.  Green,  Clyo,  Ga. 

R.  P.  Mallory,  Clyo,  Ga. 

Dr.  W.  W.  Smith,  Clyo,  Ga. 
O.  E,  Metzger,  Clyo,  Ga. 

W.  H.  J.  Foy,  Egypt,  Ga. 

T.  A.  Dutton,  Egypt,  Ga. 

A.  B.  Kieffer,  Egypt,  Ga. 

C.  C.  Wolfe,  Egypt,  Ga. 

•  H.  H.  Scott,  Eden,  Ga. 

J.  H.  Smith,  Eden,  Ga. 

J.  L.  Mattox,  Meldrim,  Ga. 

C.  F.  Cox,  Meldrim,  Ga. 

W.  L.  Gignilliat,  Pineara,  Ga. 
W.  A.  Johnson,  Pineara,  Ga. 
R.  L.  Elkins,  Pineara,  Ga. 

W.  R.  Fetzer,  Marlow,  Ga. 

B.  N.  Shearouse,  Marlow,  Ga. 
Dr.  L.  H.  Lanier,  Marlow,  Ga. 


J.  w. 
P.  0.). 

Reisser, 

Stillwell, 

Ga. 

(Clyo 

C.  B. 
P.  0.). 

Guann, 

Stillwell, 

Ga. 

(Clyo 

W.  C. 

P.  0.). 

Reisser, 

Stillwell, 

Ga. 

(Clyo 

H.  B. 
P.  0.). 

Kieffer, 

Stillwell, 

Ga. 

(Clyo 

J.  C.  Zipperer,  Coldbrook,  Ga.  (Rincon 

P.  0.). 


J.  N.  Zettler,  Coldbrook,  Ga.  (Rincon 
P.  0.). 

W.  M.  Exley,  Exley,  Ga. 

Wylly  Jarrell,  Exley,  Ga. 

J.  B.  Simmons,  Rincon,  Ga. 

E.  E.  ninely,  Rincon,  Ga. 

L.  B.  Ackerman,  Rincon.  Ga. 

W.  H.  Poythoes,  Rincon,  Ga. 

L.  F.  Grovenstine,  Ebenezer,  Ga. 
(Rincon  P.  0.). 

L.  E.  Seckinger,  Ebenezer,  Ga.  (Rincon 

P.  O.). 

A.  L.  Nease,  Blandford,  Ga. 

L.  E.  Dugger,  Blandford,  Ga. 

J.  A.  Graham,  Shawnee,  Ga. 

W.  W.  Griffin,  Shawnee,  Ga. 

J.  S.  Guann,  Bethel,  Ga.  (Guyton 
P.  0.). 

D.  M.  Weitman,  Bethel,  Ga.  (Guyton 
P.  O.). 

J.  R.  Hurst,  Ardmore,  Ga.  (Egypt 
P.  0.). 

G.  M.  Thompson,  Ardmore,  Ga. 

A.  J.  Bevil,  Kildare,  Ga. 

Wm.  Cannet,  Tusculum,  Ga. 

D.  H.  Clark,  Tusculum,  Ga. 

David  Lawrence,  Tusculum,  Ga. 

Wm.  Speir,  Tusculum,  Ga. 


IMPROVEMENT  OF  MILL  CREEK. 


In  order  to  arrive  at  a  fair  estimate  of  the  cost  of  improving  the 
drainage  conditions  of  the  lands  of  Effingham  County,  it  was  decided 
to  take  one  of  the  representative  creeks  and  work  up,  roughly,  a  plan 
of  drainage  for  its  watershed,  which  would  in  general  hold  good  for 
most  of  the  creeks  of  the  county.  Accordingly,  Mill  Creek  was  chosen 
for  this  purpose,  both  because  it  is  a  typical  stream  and  on  account 
of  its  accessibility,  it  being  near  Guyton  and  Pineara,  Ga. ;  also  more 
interest  in  drainage  seems  to  be  taken  by  the  people  living  in  this 
watershed  than  elsewhere  in  the  county. 

The  watershed  of  Mill  Creek  (containing  12,220  acres)  is  for  the 
most  part  flat  and  sandy,  but  is  somewhat  rolling  in  localities.  The 
headwaters  of  this  creek  are  in  a  large  flat  bay,  which  would  be 
drained  by  the  proposed  improvement. 

To  obtain  the  detailed  information  essential  for  planning  the  system 
it  was  necessary  to  run  a  line  of  levels  down  the  edge  of  the  swamp, 
taking  frequent  side  readings  in  the  swamp.  At  the  same  time  a 
stadia-compass  traverse  was  made,  so  that  the  line  of  levels  and  edge 
of  swamp  could  be  platted.  One  rodman  and  two  axmen  were  used 
and  the  work  consumed  four  days,  during  which  time  the  writer  was 

tCir.  113] 


19 


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[Cir.  113] 


Fig.  2. — Sketch  map  of  a  xxjrtion  of  Mill  Creek,  Effingham  County,  Ga.,  showing  proposed  drainage  district. 


20 


•Ss 


entertained  by  Mr.  J.  T. 
Wells,  of  Guyton,  and 
W.  L.  Gignilliat,  of 
Pineara.  A  profile  and 
map  (figs.  2  and  3)  and 
a  list  of  bench  marks 
accompany  this  report. 
But  one  edge  of  the 
swamp  shown  on  the 
map  was  actually  run 
out,  the  other  side  being 
only  approximated. 

It  is  proposed  to  pro¬ 
vide  good  drainage  to 
aU  the  land  in  this  water¬ 
shed,  and  to  do  this  it 
whl  be  necessary  to  con¬ 
struct  a  canal  through 
the  entire  length  of  Mill 
Creek.  A  6-foot  depth 
has  been  decided  upon 
as  necessary  for  this 
canal  so  as  to  give  a  good 
fall  from  the  adjoining 
lands  to  the  canal  and  a 
corresponding  lowering 
of  the  water  table.  To 
carry  the  assumed  run¬ 
off  one-half  inch  in  24 
hours  a  ditch  of  6-feet 
depth,  one-half  to  1  side 
slopes,  and  with  the  fall 
obtainable  (see  fig.  3) 
will  require  a  bottom 
width  of  8  feet  at  the 
low^er  end,  decreasing  in 
size  down  to  3  feet  as 
the  creek  is  ascended. 
In  addition  to  tliis  it 
w^ni  be  necessary  to  con¬ 
struct  about  12  miles  of 
laterals  in  the  small 
branches  which  flow^  into 
Mill  Creek.  A  system 
of  this  kind,  reaching 


'8 


21 


out  to  all  points  of  the  watershed,  will  give  ready  outlet  to  all  the 
adjacent  land,  so  that  by  digging  small  field  ditches  that  discharge 
into  the  main  canal  or  into  the  laterals  a  complete  system  of  drainage 
^  will  be  effected.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  map  and  profile  do  not 
extend  above  a  point  opposite  Old  Christian  Church,  but  the  im¬ 
provement  should  be  carried  on  up  into  the  bay  and  several  branches 
^  run  into  it,  so  as  to  coUect  the  water  quickly.  These  should  be 
ditches  4  or  5  feet  deep,  having  2  to  3  foot  bottoms. 

METHOD  OF  CONSTRUCTION. 

If  the  proposed  Mill  Creek  canal  were  constructed  just  large  enough 
to  carry  the  assumed  run-off,  it  would  probably  be  necessary  to  do 
the  excavation  by  hand,  as  the  ditch  would  be  too  small  to  accom¬ 
modate  a  floating  dredge  and  the  wet  nature  of  the  ground  would 
preclude  the  use  of  a  dry-land  machine.  It  is  proposed,  therefore,  to 
enlarge  the  section  of  the  ditch  below  the  Central  of  Georgia  Railroad, 
so  that  a  dipper  dredge  can  be  used  in  this  portion.  This  will  require 
a  ditch  having  a  bottom  width  of  14  feet,  a  top  width  of  20  feet,  and 
a  depth  of  6  feet.  A  dipper  dredge  can  then  be  set  up  at  the  Central 
of  Georgia  Railroad  bridge  and  work  downstream  and  complete  this 
portion  considerably  cheaper  than  can  be  done  by  handwork,  not¬ 
withstanding  the  fact  that  the  ditch  must  be  made  larger  than  nec¬ 
essary  in  order  to  use  the  dredge.  The  portion  of  the  MiU  Creek 
canal  above  the  railroad  bridge  and  all  of  the  laterals  will  probably 
have  to  be  dug  by  hand,  owing  to  their  small  size. 

The  dredge  work  in  the  estimate  which  follows  is  estimated  at  12 
cents  per  yard.  This  is  high  for  dredge  work  under  favorable  con¬ 
ditions,  but  owing  to  the  small  yardage  in  this  job  as  compared  with 
the  cost  of  getting  the  machine  on  the  ground  a  higher  price  must  be 
expected  than  if  the  work  involved  several  hundred  thousand  yards. 
The  contractor  could,  however,  reasonably  expect  work  on  the  other 
districts  which  would  certainly  be  formed  after  the  organization  of 
the  first  district.  For  this  reason  it  is  highly  advantageous,  when 
drainage  work  is  contemplated  in  any  district,  to  arrange  so  that  all 
the  work  that  can  be  handled  with  one  setting  up  of  machine  shall  be 
done  at  the  same  time  under  one  contract.  This  would  not  hold, 
however,  where  the  project  was  so  large  that  the  yardage  ceased  to 
4.  affect  the  unit  price  and  where  it  might  be  advisable  to  divide  up  the 
work  in  order  to  shorten  the  time  of  construction. 

The  laterals  and  that  part  of  the  Mill  Creek  canal  above  the  railroad 
If  wiU,  it  is  assumed,  be  done  by  hand,  and  this  work  has  been  estimated 
at  20  cents  per  cubic  yard. 

[Cir.  113] 


ESTIMATE  OF  COST. 


The  amount  of  excavation  noted  in  the  following  estimate  of  cost 
is  calculated  from  the  profile  of  the  ditch  as  shown  in  fig.  3. 

In  the  estimate  no  allowance  is  made  for  cost  of  right  of  wa}^. 
as  the  ditches  would  be  dug  almost  entirely  in  existing  waterways. 
The  cost  per  yard  for  dredge  work  is  intended  to  include  the  cost  of 
clearing  a  right  of  way  for  the  main  canal. 

Estimate  of  cost. 


Mill  Creek  Ditch: 

109,000  cubic  yards  dredge  excavation,  at  12  cents  per  yard . $13, 080 

13,000  cubic  yards  hand  excavation,  at  20  cents  per  yard .  2,  600 

Laterals: 

64,700  cubic  yards  hand  excavation,  at  20  cents  per  yard .  12,  940 

Contingent  expense,  at  10  per  cent .  2,  862 

Total .  31,482 

Number  of  acres  benefited,  12,220. 

Average  cost  per  acre,  $2.58. 

LCir.  113] 


APPENDIX 


BENCH  MARKS  ALONG  CENTRAL  OF  GEORGIA  RAILROAD. 

[Obtained  from  the  Central  of  Georgia  R.  R.  Co.] 


Location  and  description. 


Mile  post  15,  top  of  stone  post . . 

Mile  post  16,  top  of  stone  post . *. . 

Mile  post  18,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  19,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  21,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  22,  top  of  stone  post . : . 

Mile  post  23,  top  of  stone  post . • . 

Mile  post  24,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  25,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  26,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  28,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  29,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  31,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  32,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  33,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  34,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  36,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  38,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  39,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  41,  top  of  stone  post . . 

Mile  post  43,  top  of  stone  post . 

Mile  post  44,  top  of  stone  post . 

Meldrim  station  on  northeast  corner  of  northeast  pedestal  of  foundation 

of  water  tank  on  G.  &  A.  R.  R.,  back  of  station . 

Eden  station,  on  top  iron  property  post  (old  rail) . 

Guyton  station,  in  window  sill  of  depot . 

Tusculum  station;  track  spike  in  warehouse  brewer  (station  1853)  .... 

Egypt  station,  on  door  sill  of  pumping  station . 

Oliver  station  (Screven  County);  on  door  sill  of  waiting  room  near  track 


Elevation. 


35. 

65 

32. 

08 

41. 

84 

39. 

51 

53. 

66 

51. 

04 

50. 

92 

59. 

00 

62. 

07 

79. 

85 

80. 

05 

76. 

15 

106. 

54 

98. 

50 

114. 

82 

115. 

52 

130. 

20 

130. 

69 

133. 

28 

139. 

99 

134. 

86 

137. 

39 

36. 

585 

38. 

62 

91. 

21 

134. 

28 

136. 

37 

116. 

61 

[Cir.  113] 


(23) 


/ 


24 


3  0112  077596077 


BENCH  MARKS  ALONG  SAVANNAH  RIVER. 
[Obtained  from  U.  S.  Engineer’s  Office,  Savannah,  Ga.] 


' 


Bench¬ 

mark 

No. 

Eleva¬ 

tion. 

Location  and  description. 

28 

45.  77 

Description  lacking.  Low  water  at  B.  M. =34.67. 

29 

62.  03 

Description  lacking. 

29  A 

52.  21 

Description  lacking.  Low  water  at  B.  M. =30.51. 

30 

38.  34 

Description  lacking.  Low  water  at  B.  M.=27.84. 

31 

50.  85 

About  125  feet  from  river  and  15  feet  back  from  east  comer 
freight  house  at  Bosticks  Landing;  on  4  nails  (.  :  .)  driven 
into  cut  point  on  south  side  of  root  of  water  oak  40  inches  in 
diameter.  Low  water  at  B.  M. =24.25. 

32 

36.  03 

100  feet  from  river  bank  and  8  feet  north  of  small  creek  at  Sisters 
Ferry,  Ga.,  on  4  nails  (.  :  .)  driven  into  cut  point  1.5  feet  above 
the  ground  on  north  side  of  12-inch  white  oak.  Low  water  at 
B.M. =20.03. 

33 

30.  52 

About  25  feet  from  right  bank  of  river  and  about  160  feet  below^ 
mouth  of  a  gut  40  feet  wide  as  shown  at  43.9  miles;  on  4  nails 
(.  :  .)  driven  into  cut  point  1  foot  above  ground  on  north  side 
of  24-inch  black  gum.  Tree  is  blazed  on  side  toward  river 
and  stands  among  pine  trees.  Low  water  at  B.  M. =19.12. 

34 

23.  67 

About  70  feet  from  river  at  Gaffneys  Landing  and  about  140  feet 

below  a  creek  15  feet  wide;  on  4  nails  (.  :  .)  driven  into  cut 
point  on  north  root  of  15-inch  hickory.  Low  water  at  B.  M.= 
15.82. 

35 

35.  05 

About  100  feet  from  river  and  in  angle  between  roads  leading  to 
lower  landing  at  Ebenezer  Church;  on  4  nails  driven 

into  cut  point  on  north  root  of  38-inch  sweet  gum.  Low  water 
at  B.  M. =14.05. 

36 

21.  48 

At  southeast  corner  of  upper  wharf  at  Purysburg,  S.  C.,  in  edge 
of  bank  10  feet  from  water;  on  4  nails  (.  :  .)  driven  into  cut 
point  1.5  feet  above  ground  on  west  side  of  16-inch  short-leaf 
pine.  Low  water  at  B.  M. =6.60. 

36  A 

23.  11 

About  100  feet  from  river  and  about  100  feet  above  upper  wharf 
at  Purysburg,  S.  C.;  on  a  cross  (X)  cut  into  top  of  brick  in 
upper  projecting  course  of  brick  at  northwest  corner  of  chim¬ 
ney  at  north  end  of  a  new  house  about  18  feet  square.  Next 
brick  above  B.  M.  marked  with  “U.  S.”  cut  into  face. 

37 

16.  99 

Top  of  southwest  pier  of  A.  C.  L.  R.  R.  bridge  across  Savannah 
River,  14  miles  on  the  lower  side  of  bridge;  on  cross  (X)  cut 
into  top  of  granite  coping.  Low  water  at  B.  M.=3.70. 

BENCH  MARKS  SET  BY  DRAINAGE  INVESTIGATIONS. 

1 

83.  70 

Mill  Creek  swamp  about  opposite  Old  Christian  Church;  nail  in 
15-uich  red  oak  at  southeast  corner  of  field . 

2 

65.  74 

Mill  Creek  swamp  at  road  1  mile  west  of  Central  of  Georgia  R.  R.  j 
nail  in  15-inch  black  gum  on  east  side  road  near  run. 

3 

60.  90 

Mill  Creek  swamp;  Pinsora  River  road;  nail  in  telephone  pole 
50  feet  west  of  run. 

4 

42.  51 

East  bank  slough  near  Ogeechee  River  about  300  feet  north  of 
Mill  Creek;  nail  in  base  of  12-inch  white  oak. 

[Cir.  118] 


o  . 


